Development News

Judi and Dominic LoPresti met in a bike shop. Their first date was a bike ride. They even got married at an international bike show in Las Vegas.

Next year, the Cincinnati natives will fulfill a lifelong dream to open their own bike shop when they welcome customers to Spun Bicycles in Northside, at 4122 Hamilton Avenue in the storefront space of historic Hoffner Lodge. They've leased the storefront space and are already busy planning for the space, which will have a 60-inch TV screen pumping BMX videos and music and a bench constructed out of skateboards.

"Cincinnati hasn't seen anything like this," says Judi LoPresti, who worked as a bicycle messenger in San Francisco and raced for three years before deciding that the traditional riding scene was not for her. "We just want to have a bike shop that's going to be really cool."

With her background in bikes of all sorts and her husband's history as a sponsored BMX rider, the couple spent countless hours volunteering for MoBo, the city's only bicycle co-op. She spent most of her time volunteering with youth programs, including summer initiatives that provided bikes for neighborhood kids.

What she noticed, over and over again, were people who didn't want to work on their own bikes, which MoBo supports, but just wanted their own bikes fixed.

"The neighborhood needs a bike shop," she says.

While it won't be a focal point of Spun, the couple does plan on selling locally crafted skateboards by Fickle Boards. But the shop's main focus will be restoring and repairing bikes, selling bikes and supporting the local biking community.

Judi LoPresti says that he shop's location next to The Listing Loon will make it easy for customers to drop of their bikes for repair, stop next door for beer or wine, then come back to pick up their fixed wheels.

She sees a symbiotic relationship with MoBo and the newly opened Wrong Brothers bike shop in nearby Northside International Airport.

"I'm really excited," says Judi, who currently spends days tending the coffee bar at Sidewinder. "There are ton of people looking forward to it."

The LoPresti's get occupancy next month and hope to have their logo on the windows soon. Inside, though, they have lots of renovation and design work to do. Still, Judi LoPresti hopes to have the doors open by late March 2013. Currently, We Have Become Vikings is designing Spun's logo, which should be unveiled this month, and the shop's website, which will launch next year.

By Elissa Yancey
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Eight of the nine spaces in Bakery Lofts, the historic 1421-23 Race St.building just a half block from Washington Park, are already on "hold," according to developer 3CDC, as interest in and development around living spaces in Over-the-Rhine continues its brisk pace.

3CDC is currently working on a three-phase, $62 million project that encompasses two city blocks on 14^th Street between Vine and Walnut, says Anastasia Mileham, communications director for 3CDC. Included in the Mercer Commons project are 19 historic building renovations and new construction on 26 vacant pieces of land.
 
The project will ultimately contain 96 market-rate apartments, 30 affordable apartments, 28 condominiums, 17,600 square feet of commercial space and 359 parking spaces, says Mileham.
 
The first phase of development began on June 30—it will yield a 340-space parking garage; 11 condos housed in four historic rehabs on Mercer, which will open in March 2013; a mixed-use building on Vine that will have 12 condos and 3,900 square feet of commercial space; and Mercer Townhomes, with five living units. The mixed-use building and the townhomes are slated to open in September 2013.
 
Phase 2 includes 13 historic rehabs that will house 46 mixed-income apartments, 6,000 square feet of commercial space and a mixed-income building on Walnut with 21 apartments and 4,600 square feet of commercial space. Phase 3 of the project includes two historic building rehabs with eight apartments; eight new construction, three-story townhomes with 16 apartments; and a new building with 35 apartments, 3,100 square feet of commercial space and 19 parking spaces.
 
One of the highlights of the project is the affordable housing that will be available. It’s also the first of its kind with a mixed-income building.
 
“We worked really hard to get low-income tax credits for affordable housing,” Mileham says. “It was difficult because OTR is saturated with low-income tax credits and vacant housing. We wanted to show the community that you can have affordable units that at the same time are nice.”
 
The new development in OTR will help create a walkable community with residential, commercial and office space all in one area. It will also help rejuvenate yet another part of the neighborhood.
 
In all, 3CDC has completed four phases of development in OTR, including 186 condos and 91,000 square feet of commercial space. All but three of those condos have sold and about 90 percent of the commercial space is leased. 3CDC also has seven other projects around OTR, with 65 condos, 23 apartments and 17,900 square feet of commercial space. 

By Caitlin Koenig
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On Nov. 8, Cincinnati Public Schools auctioned 13 school buildings and four land parcels, valued at more than $27 million, according to the county auditor's office. Eleven of the buildings sold, along with one piece of land. Bidding opened on Nov. 5 at $50,000; at the close of the auction, CPS made $3.5 million, which was more than enough to complete the district's Facilities Master Plan.
 
The FMP was part of a bond levy that was passed in spring 2003 that combined state and other funds for a $1 billion build-out of the district. In the next 18 months, every school currently in use by CPS will either have been renovated or rebuilt to create a better environment for students, faculty and staff.
 
As part of the FMP, many of the schools that were sold at auction were “swing” schools, which means they were used for classes while other schools were being renovated. After renovations, CPS no longer had a need for the schools, but wanted the buildings to have second lives.
 
“As part of the plan, we knew we couldn’t overbuild, and we didn’t want to under-build,” says Janet Walsh, director of public affairs for CPS. “The consequence of that was that there were some beautiful buildings that we weren’t able to use as school buildings, but could be used by the community in other ways.”

The district's approach, as it has been before, was to put the buildings up for auction.
 
CPS held a successful auction about three years ago, but this one included more buildings and raised more money than expected, says Eve Bolton, board president of CPS. Some of the schools that didn’t sell in the 2009 auction sold this time around.
 
“The reality is that the economic upturn in this region and the interest in Greater Cincinnati leaves a stock of historic, well-built schools empty,” says Bolton. “We want to see our buildings reused and recycled so that they can be beneficial to the neighborhoods they are a part of.”
 
State law allows CPS to auction off unused buildings, but only after they have first been offered to local charter schools. Those left after auction can be sold on the public market as pieces of real estate. Buyers have no legal restrictions regarding what the school buildings can be used as—some of the buildings will become other schools, residential housing or office buildings; others will be torn down and something else will be built in their places.
 
CPS schools and land included in the Nov. 8 auction:

• Burton Elementary School, 876 Glenwood Street, North Avondale: sold for $305,000; built in 1966, last class in 2008
• Central Fairmount Elementary School, 2475 White Street, South Fairmount: sold for $310,000; built in 1900, last class in 2012
• Heberle Elementary School, 2015 Freeman Avenue, West End: sold for $60,000; built in 1929, last class in 2007
• Hoffman Elementary School, 3060 Durrell Avenue, Evanston: sold for $200,000; built in 1922, last class in 2011
• Kirby Road Elementary School, 1710 Bruce Avenue, Northside: sold for $230,000; built in 1910, last class in 2005
• Lafayette Bloom Middle School, 1941 Baymiller Street, West End: sold for $60,000; built in 1915, last class in 2006
• Linwood Fundamental Academy, 4900 Eastern Avenue, Linwood: sold for $75,000; built in 1927-29, last class in 2005
• Losantiville Elementary School, 6701 Elbrook Avenue, Amberley Village: sold for $525,000; built in 1954, last class in 2008
• Old SCPA, 1310 Sycamore Street, Pendleton: sold for $1.3 million; built in 1910, last class in 2010
• Old Shroder Junior High School, 3500 Lumford Place, Kennedy Heights: sold for $150,000; built in 1956, last class unknown
• Paradrome Street parcel, Mount Adams: sold for $135,000
• Winton Montessori School, 4750 Winton Road, Winton Place: sold for $265,000; closed in early Nov. 2012
• George F. Sands School, 940 Poplar Street, West End: not sold, valued at $1.89 million; built in 1912, last class in 2007
• North Fairmount Elementary School, 2001 Baltimore Avenue, North Fairmount: not sold, valued at $2.2 million; built in 1954, last class unknown
• E. Apple Street parcel, Winton Hills: not sold, valued at $485,628
• Terry Street parcel, East Price Hill: not sold, valued at $13,400
• Site of old Millvale school building, 3277 Beekman Street, Millvale: not sold, valued at $135,550

By Caitlin Koenig
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A group of eight University of Cincinnati students have designed seven projects that will bring creative elements to existing, underutilized spaces in Covington. The projects this semester focus mainly on the area around Pike Street and Madison Avenue, but in the future, the class hopes to have a continued impact and involve community members in Covington and other areas in the region.
 
The students are members of Matt Anthony’s Tactical Urbanism class at the UC Niehoff Urban Studio. It’s the first year for the class, but many elements of it have been seen in other classes where students have engaged and built projects that focus on changes in urban areas. Soapbox sat down with Anthony to discuss the impact of the class.
 
Q: Why are the projects based in Covington when there are opportunities in Cincinnati to revitalize the city’s urban core?
A: “Recently, the CDC has been engaged with a few projects in Covington, including some involvement in the studies or development of their Center City Action Plan. Covington itself offered a unique set of issues to address and also a territory that was largely unfamiliar to students, even though we are so close to this very central and urban area.

When we first started talking about doing this project, Frank Russell, director of the CDC, was the first to suggest Covington as a prime location. We’ve been fortunate to have a great relationship with some city officials, such as Natalie Bowers, who is the arts district director in Covington. She has been a great internal champion of arts projects and knows the right channels to get more official approval for some of our projects that require it. Katie Meyers from Renaissance Covington has also helped organize some business and commercial-oriented work.

There are more communities in our region on both sides of the river that we’d like to work with. Our hope is that there is some excitement with these projects and we can take what we learned in Covington and apply it elsewhere. There was interest in some temporary installation projects around the Pendleton neighborhood recently, so that is a possibility.”
 
Q: Has anything like this ever been done at UC before?
A: “I don’t think there have been many projects of this specific type at UC. There have been many design/build activities over the years for both architecture and art projects, especially in urban areas, but I think this is one of the few that have allowed the students to identify the opportunity area themselves through personal research and viewing existing urban studies and then planning a temporary installation.

The studio is called “Tactical Urbanism” after a more recent movement to try to empower people to create temporary projects that have a potential to create long-term change. The idea itself isn’t new, but there is a renewed interest and a growing movement around it right now—I recently heard someone call it ‘urban prototyping.’”
 
Q: What about in Covington?
A: “In Covington, I know there have been various arts engagement projects around the city, including a class from NKU that created an installation under one of the train overpasses, so I don’t think we’re claiming a lot of firsts. The Awesome Collective has also been talking a lot about doing more subversive positive messaging and advertising to make people aware of Covington. But again, I think the student’s control of the projects and the kind of blitz we’re putting on with eight projects is more unique.”
 
Q: Does the Tactical Urbanism class partner with any organizations for projects and/or events?
A: “We’ve done a lot of work with the people from Renaissance Covington and the City of Covington, CSX for train overpass inquiries and various small businesses have been generous with their support of projects in effort and materials. One of our students is collaborating with holiday storefront installations that Covington merchants are planning, and another is working with the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center to transform student drawings into life-size renditions that will enliven a train underpass. So the students have been a whirlwind through Covington and various organizations there.”
 
Q: There are lots of rejuvenation efforts going on throughout the Tri-State area. Why do you think it’s important for students to get involved in rejuvenating a city?
A: “I’ve seen more and more students looking for a way to make a difference in the world by utilizing the skills they are learning in school. I wanted to find a way to connect students with real problems that they could identify and physically make something that could make a difference that they can and should detect, even if it’s limited in scope.

I think it’s important from a civic engagement perspective both from the city’s and the student’s sides. Design and creative problem solving will continue to grow in importance as our cities grow, and empowering students now with experiences in affecting their environment is an important step.”
 
Q: What do you hope to see come out of the tactical urbanism class?
A: “I’d like to see students execute successful projects that are well attended that positively influence the City of Covington. But of equal importance is that the students understand the impact it had and the implications or suggestions they could make to the city regarding the issue they hoped to affect.

A number of students have projects aimed at changing perceptions of areas or creating some awareness around spaces and problems, so I think seeing people gather or talk about those things would be good as well. A number of students have ideas that they are documenting that could successfully be executed again, or have a version that with a few more local champions and perhaps a small cash infusion could scale up to be nice civic projects. So we’re looking for partners whose interest may have been peaked by some of the events to keep the ball rolling.”
 
The projects for this semester kicked off on Nov. 16 with Chalk Walk in the Arcade, and Covington’s first urban golf tournament was held on Nov. 17 on top of City Center Garage. The other projects will be popping up in Covington throughout the month of November.

• Through Nov. 31, images of what Covington looked like in the past will be juxtaposed with what the vacant commercial properties look like today.
• Weekends in November: Empty planters along Madison will see new plant life and help beautify the area.
• Until Nov. 23, signs were on display along sidewalks to encourage people to visit local attractions.
• Friday, Nov. 23: The Covington Urban Spaces Installation Project put up holiday storefront installations in windows near the corner of Pike and Madison, which will be on display until New Year’s.
• Wednesday, Nov. 28: A pop-up park and café will appear under the overpass on Pike to bring together residents and visitors.

By Caitlin Koenig
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With 10 restaurants and bars launched in 10 years, and more set to open soon, Four Entertainment Group (4EG) continues its successful run with Igby’s downtown, at 122 E. Sixth Street in between Main and Walnut streets.

4EG founders Bob Deck, Dave Halpern, Dan Cronican and Ben Klopp have two spaces reserved in the new U Square development in Clifton, one of which will be the group’s third Keystone Grill (other locations are in Covington and Hyde Park) and an adjacent bar.

“I think Cincinnati’s just moving in the right direction,” says Deck. “I grew up here, so, just seeing the city change over the last, you know, six or seven years, with all the independent restaurants and all the independent owners, it’s pretty cool.”
Deck and his partners cemented their commitment to the city by opening a central business office in Over-the-Rhine, across the street from The Anchor-OTR restaurant and above Zula, a bistro and wine bar slated to open soon.

“We moved our offices down here because we’re invested in the city,” Deck says. “We didn’t have a central office, so we thought, ‘Hey what better place than to put our offices down in OTR, and support the whole area and movement.’”

Just across downtown, Igby’s represents 4EG’s collaboration with Core Resources, Beck Architecture and 3CDC. Think its name sounds mysterious? That’s the point.

“We called it Igby’s because we really wanted to come up with a name that didn’t really give you any idea of what the bar would be before you walked in,” Deck says
.
“We’re really designing this bar around good beer, and good wine and good craft, fresh cocktails,” Deck says.

Open Monday through Saturday, Igby’s weekends ramp up the energy by opening its second and third floor open up and featuring a DJ.

The space itself is huge—approximately 7,500 square feet. The Civil War era building posed challenges, but developers persevered through massive restoration work to create a wood-filled, modern and hyper-stylized space. Igby’s atrium features balconies around each level so that patrons can look up or down onto the other floors. Igby’s also has an outdoor patio with a lounge.

Cincinnati Chef Lauren Brown has a five-item menu, featuring oysters, sodabread and cheese and even seasonal salads, that is served from 4 to 10 pm. “It’s really meant to accompany people coming in and having some drinks,” Deck says. “It’s all very high-quality and fresh, and everything we can source locally, we try to source locally. It’s hard to source West Coast oysters locally, though.”

All of the juices for the extensive cocktail list are also fresh. Mixologist Brian Van Flandern from New York created the craft cocktail menu, which includes the bourbon-tinged Black Cherry Sling (with a kick of nutmeg), the Apple Toddler, which has Gerber Apple baby food in it, and locally themed drinks like RedsRum and Naked in Newport. Igby’s has 16 beers on tap, including craft beers, imported bottles and cans.

By Stephanie Kitchens

Marianne Kiely, owner of Everything’s d’Vine, has waited a long time to open her specialty wine and beer shop on Fourth Street. But as of Nov. 9, she is open for business.
 
Everything’s d’Vine has hardwood floors and exposed brick walls. The walls are original brick, but the floor was replaced when Kiely rented the building. Customers get the feel that they’re in a wine cellar, even though they’re steps away from busy Fourth Street.
 
Vynebar wine racks line the walls, which Kiely sells in addition to a wide assortment of wines from around the United States and abroad.  
 
There’s also a beer room, stocked with beers from craft breweries across the country. A tasting room, where Kiely hosts samplings twice a week, one for wine and the other for beer, connects the two rooms. The samplings reflect Kiely’s inventory, but there are usually six to eight brands to try, she says. There’s usually a $10-15 cost for the tastings, but the cost depends on the number of pours.
 
Make sure to check Everything’s d’Vine’s Facebook page for weekly tasting times and costs, along with other events. She also includes inventory updates and seasonal releases on Facebook.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Next Tuesday, Madisonville’s community council will share its Quality of Life Plan with funders, government officials, businesses, nonprofits and surrounding communities. For the past year, Madisonville has been involved in an intensive, community-driven planning process.
 
It’s the first time in Cincinnati that a citizen-driven, community plan of this type has been developed, although it has been used in 109 communities across the country.
 
Not only does Madisonville have a strong history—its future looks bright. The neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati is more than 200 years old. It was established in 1809 and originally called “Madison” after the newly elected fourth President of the United States, James Madison.
 
Madisonville’s first permanent settler was Joseph Ward and his family. In 1797, they built a log cabin along an Indian trail that is near what are now Whetsel and Monning avenues. About 30 years later, a post office was established and the neighborhood’s name was changed to Madisonville to avoid duplication with Madison, Ohio. It was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1911. Today, about 9,000 people live in the neighborhood.
 
But in the 1970s, about 17,000 people lived in Madisonville. Flight from urban areas in the '70s has yet to be reversed, but there are more residents considering city life.
 
“Madisonville would be a great place to live because of its closeness to downtown,” says Sara Sheets, a Madisonville resident of nine years and the project manager for the Quality-of-Life Planning Process on behalf of the Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. Residents can jump on Columbia Parkway or I-71 to get to work and events downtown.
 
Many of Madisonville’s residents moved to the area because they wanted to be part of a racially and economically diverse community. “I wanted to live in a diverse community with a potential for the future,” says Sheets.
 
The residents of Madisonville really care about the neighborhood and want to see it grow. Last year, Madisonville began the intense process of organizing the community in order to develop a vision for the neighborhood. Six working groups were formed to focus on economic development, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and youth, built environment and community engagement. The groups met six times over the summer to form a specific plan. The Quality of Life Plan will likely take about 10 years to implement, but it’s a roadmap for what the community wants to see happen in the neighborhood, Sheets says.
 
The Quality of Life Plan focuses on broader change, particularly on the opportunities and quality of life for children and seniors in Madisonville, according to Bob Igoe, who has lived in Madisonville for 12 years and been the community council president for three.

A large portion of the Plan is focused on education, from kindergarten on up. For example, the Children’s Home of Cincinnati has made a long-term commitment for the kindergarten-ready program in Madisonville. The program focuses on children ages 0-3 and helps prepare them for kindergarten, both educationally and socially.

Not only are there long-term goals for Madisonville, but there are short-term goals, too. One of these is jump-starting the growth of the business district, Igoe says.
 
Currently, there are about two blocks of vacant property at Madison and Whetsel, in the heart of the neighborhood’s business district. Madisonville residents will ultimately get to decide what will fill those vacant spaces.

“We want to develop a mixed-use neighborhood where walking and biking to restaurants, shops and services is easy,” Sheets says. Many residents go outside of the neighborhood to grab a cup of coffee.  
 
Residents also want to add new apartments, condos and houses to the town. Most of the new housing will likely be around the business district to enhance the community's walkability.
 
The meeting is to begin Nov. 27 at 5:30 pm at John P. Parker School, 5051 Anderson Place, Cincinnati.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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As brewery equipment rolls into Over-the-Rhine, the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company is just weeks away from reaching another milestone in reviving the Christian Moerlein and Hudepohl names in Cincinnati.

The former home of the Kauffman Brewing Company and Husman’s Potato Chip factory at 1621 Moore Street is nearly converted to brewing headquarters for Moerlein and Hudepohl beers.

With this building, “exponential growth is possible,” says Josh Baker, marketing director for Christian Moerlein.

The lingering question in many beer fans’ minds, though, is simple. What will be the first beer off the new production line?

“Whichever beer we need will be first to be brewed,” says Baker, who hints at a secret ale likely to emerge from the brewing lines soon.

While the Lager House at the Banks will continue brewing to fulfill the restaurant’s beer needs, all other brewing will happen on Moore Street.

At first, the Moerlein lagers and ales and Hudepohl seasonal beers will be brewed on Moore Street, but eventually all the Hudepohl beers will roll off the lines there as well.

Beer won’t be the only focus of the expanded space, Baker says. The location will also feature a banquet hall (in the space that has served as Bock Fest Hall the past few years) as well as a tap room, slated to open next spring. Brewery visitors will be able to purchase their favorite beers in cases, growlers and kegs from the tap room, located in the old Kauffman malt drying room.

Since the building was a pre-refrigeration era brewery, it also offers access to lagering cellars, which are currently featured in several Cincinnati tours, including those given by the Over-the-Rhine Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation and redevelopment of Cincinnati’s rich beer brewing roots.

Moerlein and The Brewery District are closely tied with Steve Hampton, executive director for The Brewery District and project architect for the new brewery, and Gregory Hardman, CEO of Christian Moerlein and president of The Brewery District. They plan to incorporate tours and history into the new brewery, which allows visitors to simultaneously experience Cincinnati beer, past and present.

The Brewery District CURC is in charge of the annual Bock Fest, as well as the seasonal Biergarten at Findlay Market. The nonprofit will be in charge of beer sales at an open house for the brewery from 4 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 21.

If all goes smoothly, brewing is set to start “within two weeks after the open house,” says Baker. “People have been knocking on our door wanting to see what is happening. The amount of support and cheers has been overwhelming the past year.”

Guests at the open house can enter a drawing to win one of the first 100 bottles off the production line. The bottles will be numbered, signed and accompanied by a letter of authenticity. Registration for the contest will take place until the open house and can be done at Findlay Market or by mail.

After the open house, the next brewery-related event will be the Third Annual Hudepohl Thanksgiving Eve Turkey Trot featuring $2 Hudepohl Amber Lagers at bars along Main and Vine streets.

By Blaire Mynear
Blaire Mynear is an aspiring biologist and a resident of Walnut Hills

This year, Black Friday will be a “Bright Friday” for the community of Northside.

Up and down Hamilton Avenue, businesses will unveil fun and funky new signs that bedazzle Northside’s main drag. In an unlikely collaboration of 11 businesses, local artists, several zoning officials and one museum, the CoSign project is now a proven success in creating attractive, cohesive street signage with hopes to shape future signage projects in city neighborhoods locally and across the nation.

What started as a broader grant application to ArtPlace America for several city neighborhoods became a personal quest for Northsiders after the city-wide application went unfunded last spring.  

Stepping up with funding support, the Haile US Bank Foundation, Northside partners and the American Sign Museum created a pilot project that paired local businesses and visual artists with sign fabricators to design and install a critical mass of new signage along Hamilton Avenue.  

With an idealistic launch date of November 23, this year’s Black Friday, Eric Avner knew this would be a challenge. “We wanted to do multiple things at once,” says Avner, vice president and senior program manager of the Haile/US Bank Foundation. “Help the sign museum, help local business districts gain vitality and give the creative sector of Cincinnati more opportunities to make a living.”  

The American Sign Museum played a vital role in the project, serving as the primary grant recipient and providing staff as content specialists for the design process. The museum held two August training workshops for artists and businesses, put together a team of professional sign fabricators and installers, and participated in a judging panel to decide upon the best signage proposals from business/artist teams.  

“Part of our mission is to educate the public and special interest groups about signs,” says Tod Swormstedt, founder of the American Sign Museum. “The workshops helped to educate the business owners on why signage is so important for marketing, as well as to educate artists about what is a good sign. Artists may create an aesthetically-pleasing sign, but it may not identify the business well.”   

The week before their unveiling, the American Sign Museum displayed the signage in its brand-new facility near Camp Washington at 1330 Monmouth Street.  

CoSign documented the progress of the project from start to finish with help from The Queen City Project so other communities have the opportunity to replicate the project and broadcast their own creativity and collaborative spirit through signage. And the sign museum plans to go after that ArtPlace grant again - the one it lost just a few short months ago.

Says Swormstedt, “The application is much stronger now, given the learning curve we experienced, the lessons learned and the project’s success.”  

By Becky Johnson

Startup Grind is coming to Cincinnati. On Dec. 6, The Brandery will host a Startup Grind event featuring Tim Schigel, founder of ShareThis, an online sharing platform.
 
Startup Grind is a national organization of founders, entrepreneurs and “wantrapreneurs” looking for inspiration and education, as well as a way to network with the best and brightest in startups. It began in 2010 as friends getting together to chat about startups, but it has grown into an international speaker phenomenon, says Venture for America's Chelsea Koglmeier, who is serving as program coordinator at The Brandery.
 
The first official Startup Grind event was held in Feb. 2010. Nine people attended. Since then, there have been about 50 Startup Grinds around the world. They’re chances to brainstorm, provide and receive feedback on ideas and, just maybe, start something new.
 
There are Startup Grind chapters in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, St. Louis, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, San Diego, Seattle, Tempe and Utah. International chapters are in Budapest, Cyprus, Dubai, Johannesburg, Ottawa, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Ireland, London, Melbourne, North Bay, Singapore and Sydney.
 
The Brandery has never had an event like Startup Grind, but they’re excited about the opportunity.
 
“The startup community in Cincinnati is growing tangibly, and The Brandery is doing everything in its power to provide resources and inspiration to continue the positive upswing of entrepreneurism,” says Koglmeier.
 
During the event, Schigel will be answering questions from Dave Knox, CMO of Rockfish and cofounder of The Brandery. Schigel will also chat about his experience with startups and starting his own business. Then, there will be time for Q&A and networking.

It’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to interact with one another.


There isn’t a deadline for registration, but make sure to sign up early, as The Brandery has limited space. Check out the event’s meetup page for more information.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Aaron Kohlhepp and Jack Weston were two single guys on a mission: to find a place to watch March Madness in Over-the-Rhine. What started as a joke over drinks about starting their own bar will soon launch rhinehaus, Over-the-Rhine’s newest sports bar.

The venue will launch in mid-December at the corner of 12^th and Clay streets, not far from Japps. Kohlhepp and Weston both have generous employers who will let them cut back from full- to part-time positions at local financial institutions; Kohlhepp works in corporate marketing and Weston in accounting.

Kohlhepp says that discussions turned to concrete planning once they found their current space, an OTR building constructed in the late 1800s that has hardwood floors and exposed brick. “We found that space and just thought it was a good spot on the main corridor between Main Street and everything that’s going on on Vine," he says. "Eventually the streetcar will go right past us, and the casino [that opens next spring] is just a couple blocks away.”

The rhinehaus name is a play not only on the bar’s local digs and Cincinnati’s German roots, but also its former occupant, Rhino’s Bar. Currently, renovations in the space include replacing the storefront and adding floor-to-ceiling glass
windows.

Because both Kohlhepp and Weston are soccer fans, their first order of business will be to broadcast English Premier League soccer games on weekends. They’re also wading through the process of getting a liquor license and brainstorming ways to partner with other local businesses.

One hurdle the duo has faced is the fact that while the bar has 18 taps, it doesn’t have a kitchen. “We’ve reached out to a couple of the food trucks in town and we’re going to talk to more of them in the coming weeks," Kohlhepp says. "We want people to be here three-plus hours to watch games, so we’re going to try to feed them."

By Robin Donovan

A bright, smiling face—it's electric, really—greets diners at today's opening of Metropole on Walnut, the 21c Museum Hotel restaurant downtown.

The art installation, created by New York-based Sanford Biggers, serves as a cultural tease for the more than 8,000 square feet of exhibit space set to open with the 21c before the end of the year.

"We have eight site-specific commissions that are in various stages of being installed," says Molly Swyers, SVP of design and communications for 21c Museum Hotels. The Cincinnati location is the company's second site, with a flagship in Louisville and a third site slated to open next year in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The boutique hotel serves as a free museum open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, Swyers says. Though the iconic 21c penguin sculptures (red in Louisville, yellow in Cincinnati) will remain on-site, curated exhibits within the museum hotel will change regularly.  "On any given visit, you'll see something different or new."

Guests won't even have to enter the 21c to experience the art. Last week, workers began installing a sound installation by Austrian artist Werner Reiterer; it's the same one that used to hang outside 21c's Louisville restaurant, Proof on Main.

"There's a trigger for chandelier inside the hotel," Swyers says."It's been adjusted some and we had to do some engineering around constructing the sidewalk to support it."

The opening of the 21c isn't just a boon for art lovers and foodies. Swyers says the company hired 160 employees property-wide, including a mix of 21c-seasoned pros from Louisville and newcomers from Cincinnati. "You have a good mix of people who have been with 21c for some time and people who are just joining the team," she says.

Metropole chef Michael Paley is one of the Louisville transplants, as is the site's food and beverage manager.

"I'm excited just to open the doors and see people's reactions to the space," says Swyers, who has been working on the project for two years.

As she plans the full opening in the next few weeks, she notes that 21c's historic predecessor, the Metropole Hotel, opened its doors on New Year's Eve in 1912. "It's exciting to make this a public space again, and it's nice to be inviting the public back in."

Follow 21c and Metropole on Walnut on Facebook to find out more about the opening, enter a yellow-penguin-spotting contest and sign up for regular email updates.

By Elissa Yancey
Follow Elissa on Twitter.

After suffering from a serious accident that required the will of a determined athlete to overcome, Cydney Rabe of Over-the-Rhine resident opened Core, an exercise studio specializing in Pilates this September.

Three years ago, while walking across a street in Chicago, Rabe was hit by a car.

“[Doctors] told me, ‘You’ll never be able to lift your arm above your waist, you can’t ever lift anything more than five pounds, you’ll have no range in motion’,” Rabe says.  

But Rabe wasn’t ready to accept what to others seemed inevitable. After the accident, she used Pilates to completely rehabilitate her shoulder, which she claims made her stronger than before and gave her nearly full range of motion.

Following the accident, Rabe decided to move from Chicago back to Over-the-Rhine — where her family has lived for 12 years — to open Core.

“I’ve seen such a cool change happening in the neighborhood from when we first moved into it.” Rabe says. “It’s fun to be a part of it and add my own passion into the neighborhood.”

The studio uses Pilates equipment that puts the user in a standing position, challenging people’s body awareness in ways they aren’t used to.

Each equipment class has four or fewer people, so although people pay for a group class, they still get one-on-one attention from the instructor.

“When it’s only four people, it really allows for correction and to develop form, which are so important in a Pilates practice,” Rabe says. “It allows you to get the most out of the workout.”

Rabe also attributes small class sizes to keeping people more accountable for showing up and staying on their routines.

“You’re coming in and working out and seeing familiar faces, so you start developing relationships beyond just going to the gym,” Rabe says. “People are now looking for you in a class, like, ‘Oh, so-and-so is not here today.’ ”

Currently, Core offers classes in Pilates, TRX, Zumba and ballet barre, and will likely add yoga in the future.

“I wanted it to be a one-stop shop for people to come in, get their workout on and do a mixture of classes,” Rabe says.

Chermaya Woodson, who has been going to Core since it opened, says Rabe is the most passionate Pilates teacher she has worked with.

“[Rabe] makes it a point to not only ensure that I'm getting a good workout in — which I always do — but to ensure that I am actually learning about the muscles I'm working and what they do for me on a daily basis.”

Core’s operational hours vary — depending on classes — and it is located at 1423 Vine St., in the Gateway District across the street from Kroger.

Check out Core’s Facebook page here.

By Kyle Stone

Looking for something "crafty" to learn, Chris Sutton took up jean-making nearly two years ago.

"I wanted to learn how to make something with my own hands. I'd been doing a lot of tech endeavors, and wanted to get my hands dirty," says Sutton, whose background is in live event production.

Once he began sewing jeans, Sutton found he had a real talent for it. He decided he wanted to make high-quality, American-made jeans, a rarity in today's clothing manufacturing sector. He sought out American sources for his material, thread, zippers and pocket materials. Yes, he found them all in the USA; and he created Noble Denim.

"I wanted to make my own rules around what could and couldn't be done. I wanted to make my jeans in America, and make them as sustainably as possible," he says.

Using his home in Over-the-Rhine as a sewing factory, Sutton began making and selling Noble Denim jeans. Twelve industrial sewing machines later, he moved the company into a space at Camp Washington.

Designer in style and quality, they're meant to have a longer shelf life than your average mass-produced jean. Materials come from suppliers in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and California.

They're made from raw selvage denim, made through a time-consuming process that makes the material thicker and more durable. This type of denim is supposed to better fit the wearer's body and resist shrinkage.

Sutton launched an online shop in November, where buyers can chose from two styles, Regular and Earnest Slim Straight. The jeans are pricey, $250 a pair, but all materials are 100 percent organic, reclaimed or responsibly produced. Currently Noble Denim sells jeans only for men; a women's line is planned for next fall.

Noble Denim is a young company, and Sutton still does most of the sewing. He does have interns who are learning the jean-making craft. Within the next year, he hopes to hire three or four employees, who'll make 3,000 pairs of jeans a year.

"I want to grow, but only as fast as I can stick to my philosophy," Sutton says. "So our mantra is grow slow, but do it well."

By Feoshia H. Davis
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Would you like a loaf of bread and a bag of farm-fresh veggies to go along with that hammer? As they searched for walkable ways to sustain healthy diets after the closing of Keller’s IGA in 2011, Ludlow Avenue residents in Clifton discovered food in unlikely places.

The Ace Hardware store on Ludlow began stocking fresh produce — tomatoes, apples, oranges, etc. — in the summer following the closing of IGA. It also began stocking Shadeau breads, which have been selling well in recent months — more than 600 loaves in October alone, according to Bryan Valerius, general manager of Ace Hardware on Ludlow and former Keller’s manager.

Across the street, CVS shoppers noticed an expansion of canned food options in addition to a wider selection of beers, which allows community members to continue to live a car-free, if less “fresh” life. 

Valerius says that business has increased at Ace in recent months, but that's after the foot traffic decreased when IGA closed.

“The biggest thing I hear from people around here is they don’t like getting in their car and driving to the grocery,” Valerius says.

Ludlow Wines owner Mike Anagnostou agrees. “One of the appeals of Clifton is not having to own a car,” he says. “The day-to-day necessities are all in walkable distance.”

Not all kinds of business were impacted, though, Anagnostou says.

“The weekend entertainment crowd — the people who come to Esquire, Graeter’s, Olive’s, Dewey’s — hasn’t changed,” Anagnostou said. “It’s the weekday traffic [that has declined].”

While both he and Valerius think that IGA’s reopening will help rebuild businesses, they also share doubts about its ambitious January 2013 opening date.

“It’s a very bureaucratic process,” Anagnostou says. He remembers the construction issues that arose when he went through the process of opening his shop. “You get to a certain point where they say, ‘Now you need this, now you need this.’ I truly believe we’re going to get a grocery store. I also believe Mr. Goessling and his crew have been overly-optimistic as to when they’re going to open.”

Valerius estimates the store will require 13-16 weeks of work before it can open again. He thinks the construction time will help his business.

“I’m pulling for [IGA owner] Steve Goessling,” Anagnostou says. “I want him to open.”

Eli Mock, Ludlow native and University of Cincinnati student, used to shop at Keller’s IGA before it closed, and thinks the grocery store’s reopening will make his diet healthier.

“It’ll be easy to pop in and get food for dinner after classes,” Mock says. “It’ll add some diversity to what I eat. I won’t have to rely so much on fast food.”